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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — in biology
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bank — for money
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com